One to Love Read online

  “It’s game time, kiddo.” Fiona popped in her head through the bedroom door.

  “Hey, didn’t think you were coming.” Belinda hugged her cousin. “Thought you had to work.”

  “I did, but I set it aside.” She lightly touched her cheek. “This is your day. We celebrated Dana’s rise to the job of her heart and now we celebrate yours. So let’s go.”

  Belinda nodded.

  “By the way, you are looking quite snazzy in this maxi dress.”

  “I went with bright colors. It should make everyone happy. Figured it might coax the folks to donate or sponsor the horses’ training.” Belinda slipped on a light jacket over the floor-length maxi. She wore a pair of white gladiator-style sandals with four-inch heels. As a first in a long time, she endured hours at a hairdresser’s shop to have her hair professionally styled into ringlets down her back.

  Despite what she wore to impress her guests and show Grace that she could clean up, on the inside, her nerves spiked up the chart and headed for a meltdown. Preparations, the few last-minute changes and natural game-day jitters gnawed at her. Today marked the end of a chapter of completing a portion of her vision. Instead of dancing a quick two-step in celebration, she saw that fear, brutally cold and ever-present, wanted in on the opening day to remind her that failing wasn’t beyond her reach.

  “You know...you did it.” Fiona gave her hug.

  “Some mornings, I can’t believe that I’ve gotten this far.”

  “Your mom and stepdad arrived. I saw them talking to Grace.”

  “Good.” She was pleased that they’d come. Her parents’ relationship with her was more awkward than strained. For the most part, they stayed on their own turfs unless there was an official family event.

  They headed toward the stables. A good crowd attended the festivities, further raising her spirit. She scanned the faces, many familiar, quite a few not. Everyone seemed to be mingling and enjoying the venue.

  “Oh my...word.” Fiona froze. Her gaze stayed directed on the tall man in front of them.

  “Lionel, what are you doing here?” Belinda hadn’t seen Lionel in months. And she’d rather not provide him with the incentive to bring up her past.

  “Well, I didn’t expect such a reception.”

  “You weren’t invited.” Belinda saw no need to be diplomatic. Lionel didn’t operate well under innuendoes and subtle adjustments to tone of voice.

  “I do have a donation that I’d like to make.”

  “You can leave it with Tawny.”

  “And, then...?” He hadn’t stepped closer to her. Yet he used his body and build to send intimidating messages. Lionel had height, but he also carried a lot of weight. The thick stature had gotten him mistaken for a professional wrestler many times.

  “And then nothing. I’ll send you a thank-you gift.” On that note, Belinda swept past him, leaving Fiona behind to close up the situation. She couldn’t stand to be in his company any longer than necessary. The sound of his voice had a nasal twang that made her want to karate-chop his neck.

  In no time, the crowd swallowed her, providing a natural barrier around her space. Soon it would be time for her to step up and deliver the opening speech, a ten-minute introduction on herself and the center to start things off. Poor Jesse had had to listen to various versions during the week. Maybe she should have chewed on a couple antacids this morning.

  “Have you seen Jesse?” she asked Tawny, who was taking selfies with different guests.

  “No. Did you need him for something?”

  Belinda shook her head. “It’s not that important.”

  She left Tawny with her task to scan the crowd for him. Hopefully, nothing had popped up to make him late.

  “Time for your speech.” Tawny had put away the cell phone. “Go wow these people. You’re really doing something that has impact and longevity.”

  “You’ve been hanging around the politicians too long. But I thank you for the compliment on our efforts.”

  Fiona swooped in with Dana in tow. “You look ready to hurl. But I did get rid of one reason that would have made you hurl.”

  “Lionel.” All three cousins called out the name together.

  Belinda whined, “Why didn’t I get one of you to make the speech?”

  Fiona snorted.

  “Because we want to see you grow.”

  “Dana, be quiet. Your suggestion could earn you an instant eviction off the premises. Tawny, stop giggling over there.”

  Belinda closed her eyes, took a deep breath to push back the nausea. It was showtime. On trembling legs, she walked toward the stage and then stepped onto the little staging area and approached the podium.

  A small jazz ensemble stopped its playing of popular music. The crowd continued on with its activities as she stood on the stage, trying to get its attention. Tawny snagged the audience’s awareness with her piercing whistle.

  Belinda shook her head to clear the aftereffects of the whistle. Everyone’s focus turned toward her. From her vantage point, she could identify most of the guests. But right now she was only looking for Jesse. To see his approval would set the right tone for her. He could calm her, charm her and counsel her through so many of her highs and lows. Jesse, where are you?

  She cleared her throat. Time to begin. Her gaze slid from the notes in her hand out to the back of the reception area. There he was. Her smile grew wider as he waved from his hiding spot off to the side. Two men stood behind him in suits that didn’t blend with the rest of the guests. A cool shiver ran through her. She knew deep in her bones that it was Olivier and Arthur—Jesse’s trainer and agent. They’d come as promised to entice Jesse back to soccer and back to Spain.

  Belinda swallowed the thick swell of emotion and started her speech about her friendship with Maritza. She knew it was important that the guests understood who this special woman was, her dreams ahead and the sharp detour in her life.

  She shared her feelings, touching on her guilt, but tying in the needs and benefits for the riding program. Her credit went out to mentors like Isabella and Dimitri, but she made sure to include her cousins and grandparents, especially Grace, for their support and hours of advice and hand-holding.

  Finally, the wrap-up of the speech spotlighted the O’Hare family and its generosity. Singlehandedly, they had wiped away a lot of the financial burden to open on time. When the applause simmered down, she continued with her praise by mentioning how they were honoring their mother’s memory with the unveiling of her name on the stable.

  Flushed with embarrassment for her next action, Belinda took a deep breath and expressed in a big exhalation her admiration and gratitude to Jesse and his team for completing the impressive Dreamweaver Riding facility on time and on budget.

  After the crowd applauded, she turned away from the podium. But Tawny barreled toward her with a huge grin and arms outstretched, preventing Belinda’s exit from the stage. Her assistant leaned into the microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, the woman who inspired this center.”

  The crowd murmured. Anticipation in the air buzzed like electricity.

  Belinda looked at Tawny as if she’d lost her mind. Then she noticed the small family coming onto the platform. Maritza, with the aid of a cane, slowly walked the length of the stage. Her husband and children waited off to the side. Their pride and love were easily discernible.

  “Thank you.” Maritza, with tears streaming down her face, hugged her tightly.

  “You came.” Belinda didn’t realize she was crying until Tawny pressed tissues into her hand.

  “I’m so sorry for the way I treated you.”

  Belinda waved it off. “You’re here. That means a lot.”

  Maritza stepped up to the podium and shared the tough emotional and physical journeys of rehabilitation, while lauding the importance of
horse-assisted therapy facilities like Dreamweaver.

  Belinda was proud of Maritza’s story. As the event winded down, pieces of her speech resonated with her. Her friend was a survivor, not only in the literal sense, but in what she’d overcome. Once again, she had inspired Belinda to take charge, like with what she wanted, who she wanted guilt-free—Jesse.

  * * *

  Jesse stayed out of Belinda’s way. This was his woman’s big day. Nothing that brewed in his corner of life needed to mar this event. With Olivier and Arthur hovering like black crows, interjecting themselves in his world, he didn’t want them anywhere near Belinda. To see and hear her engaging the audience’s attention with a heartfelt speech filled him with love. He coughed, in a weak attempt to shake loose the strange, new emotion.

  “You okay?” Tawny popped into his space, offering him a glass of generic punch that she lifted off a passing waiter.

  “Thanks.” He drained the glass, glad for the respite.

  She whispered loudly, “Why are you in spy mode over here?”

  “It’s cooler. Lots more shade.” The grand opening event filled the property around the renovated stable and along the road that led to the office. In that area, he stayed under the trees, keeping his companions out of the way. They had stepped aside from him to talk without his interference or input.

  Tawny leaned in to him. “So, now that the work is done, will I be seeing you hanging around the office?”

  He took a deep breath. “No. I think this job is all wrapped up.”

  “Oh, I see.” Her eyebrows peaked in total disapproval.

  Jesse wished that he could find another spot, away from Tawny’s prying and out of sight of Olivier and Arthur. It certainly wasn’t going to happen now. Belinda, with her beautiful hips swaying from side to side, headed directly toward him.

  “Hey, baby.” Belinda slid her arm through his and around his waist. “I almost had a heart attack when I didn’t see you earlier.” She turned his insides into gooey nonsense with her smile.

  “I wouldn’t have missed it. You were fantastic.”

  “Only fantastic?” She nuzzled his cheek.

  He wanted to wrap his arms around her and not let go. “Way more than fantastic. Enthralling.”

  “Oh, I like it when you use three-syllable words.” She sighed. “But I can’t play right now. I’ve got to go mingle and do all that schmoozing. But you and I...later?”

  “Okay.” He kissed her forehead.

  “Hey, what’s the matter? I know that sad puppy look.”

  “Either you tell her or I will.” Tawny squared off like an MMA fighter ready to charge. She had stepped in their space with hands on her hips. All her attention stayed on Jesse.

  “What?” Belinda looked at her assistant and then at him.

  “He’s going to break up with you because Frick and Frack are here to take him away. Kidnap him, if necessary. Guess he was only out on parole.”

  “The pallbearers in the back?”

  “They’re not important to anything here,” Jesse objected. “They came here straight from the airport because they’d just got off the plane.”

  Belinda glared at him, locking in her tracking beam of a gaze to his face, specifically his eyes. “Somehow I don’t buy that there’s nothing important going on.” She turned at his colleagues. “Would you please introduce yourselves?”

  “We’re here to talk to Jesse. I’m Olivier and this is Arthur.” Olivier had opted for a polite demeanor, while his agent must have figured his cheesy grin would work on Belinda.

  “The soccer reapers have come for your soul, Jesse.” Her tone could’ve had icicles dripping from each word.

  “So it would seem.” Tawny looked ready for a fight.

  Belinda turned her attention to him. Hurt dimming the sparkle in her eyes. “Just like that, you’re leaving. I know that Tawny doesn’t blow things out of proportion. And she wouldn’t say something that could snap my heart in two...on an important day of my life.”

  “They came bearing gifts to entice me back onto the field.” He took her hand and held it. “I didn’t say that I was breaking up with you.” Jesse wished that he could press the rewind button. “I was saying that my job was done.”

  Tawny turned to Olivier and Arthur. “Let’s go. Now. Let them be.”

  Belinda continued, “From anyone else, I’d take it at face value.” She patted away the tears and backed away from him. “You don’t break up. You just remove yourself from lives. Mine.”

  Jesse didn’t like the accuracy of her aim. “I lied.”

  “About what?”

  “I can’t pretend that I don’t want you in my life...forever. I can’t pretend that I don’t care what you think about me. I know what I want to hear you say. And yet I have no intention of forcing you to say it.”

  Belinda remained stoic, chin up, still a little teary-eyed, but determined to maintain her dignity. Only the telltale chewing on her lip gave a hint of that internal conversation that he himself also endured.

  “I don’t deserve you.”

  “That’s true.” Her small smile wavered.

  “You’ve got so much in the success column of life that I’m the charity case who doesn’t need to burden your life.”

  “Charity case? Burden?” Her eyebrows lowered into a deep frown. “From the first time we talked, really talked, I couldn’t get you out of mind. You are an anchor for me. I’m used to being on my own and depending on myself, but dammit, Jesse, you are that pillar of strength that I’ve begun to rely on.”

  He lifted her chin and gently wiped away a tear.

  “Are you really leaving? Did they convince you that they needed you more than I need you?”

  “I love you, Belinda. That’s what I’ve been hiding. And I kept it quiet to keep you from having to deal with it. I don’t want it to be an open debt, something that you feel that you owe me. But I also know that I don’t regret saying it to you. That’s why I’m leaving.”

  “Like hell you are. You’re not getting off the hook so easily, Jesse Santiago.” Belinda pulled on his arm until he faced her. She gripped his chin. “Look at me.” She pointed at her eyes, as if he needed a guide to her loving gaze.

  He continued his protest, “I can’t give you what I don’t have—peace of mind. All my life, I’ve done things that made me happy. If I saw it, I went after it. And that pursuit of happiness was at the expense of others. Look at what happened with Diego.”

  Belinda pressed her fingertips against his mouth. “I understand guilt. I’ve lived with it for most of my life. But it doesn’t have to be. Not really. You have got to forgive yourself. Or that beautiful spirit that I love, the essence of the man whom I admire, will disappear.”

  He didn’t respond. His mind had too many thoughts colliding with each other and fracturing.

  “You have to make that intention to forgive. As difficult as it has been for you, this burden that you carry is self-made. According to your plan, you don’t deserve to be happy.” She raised her hand, halting his objection. “You can’t love or be loved because it messes with this plan of action.”

  “Sacrifices have to be—”

  Belinda dropped her hands to her sides. Taking a deep breath, she said, “I’m going to walk away. I won’t turn back. I won’t beg for you to reconsider. I won’t sit and brood about the what-if. Because I’m here, in your face, real as ever, telling you that I want you at my side. We make a good team, sweetheart.” She smiled on that thought, but sobered quickly. “If you can’t admit to loving me and all that it comes with, then I will learn to live with the fact that my intuition is flawed. That all the moments we shared—all our vulnerabilities, my failures, your wins, or your missed opportunities, my accomplishments—have meant nothing, but are just a fond memory for when you and I settle down wi
th other partners.” The idea of Jesse with another woman, kids, the dog, a family home to contain their unit...well, it sucked. She had to close her eyes and squeeze them shut to shoo away the image of her handsome lover and his faceless family.

  “Woman, you play hardball. I can’t let you go.” He lifted her chin. Gently, he embraced her face with his hands, cupping either side. “But I’m more in love with you at this very minute than I ever thought I could be last week or the week before that. I love the fight in you. You’re my strong woman.”

  “I will always be that woman for you. And I know when my legs buckle, when I’m exhausted and unsure, your shoulder will be there for me to rest my weary head.”

  “We are made for each other.”

  “Yes,” she answered.

  “How did I manage to fall in love with such a hardhead? I’ve been trying to tell you for the last five minutes that I love you. Love every part of you. So shut up. Kiss me, my love.”

  She pressed up onto her tiptoes and fastened her mouth against Jesse’s.

  * * *

  Once their lips connected, she knew that she wouldn’t and couldn’t let go. Magic erupted from their union, spinning out into bands of passion that wrapped them in its cocoon. Snug against his hard body, her body melted and sealed to the muscular plane of his chest and abs and yielded to the pressure of his hard arousal. Any plan to retreat never entered her mind. She didn’t have to go there, not when his strong arms encircled her willing body, locking her against him.

  “Baby,” he groaned against her lips. “You’re messing with my head.” His tortured moans thrilled her to the bone.

  “Still talking...” She shut him up again, kissing him harder, sucking his tongue into her mouth. Without any reservations, she welcomed him like a lover returning from a long trip. Her senses had missed everything about him—the masculine scent of his aftershave, the hungry look that he’d bathed her body with, the sexy dance of his mouth and tongue, the strong fingers that spanned her back and pinned her close. Every fiber of his being she claimed, just as she gave every ounce of herself to him.